harmony | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

64 entries found.

late 14c., "combination of tones pleasing to the ear," from Old French harmonie, armonie "harmony," also the name of a musical instrument (12c.), from Latin harmonia, from Greek harmonia "agreement, concord of sounds," also as a proper name, the personification of music, literally "means of joining," used of ship-planks, etc., also "settled government, order," related to harmos "fastenings of a door; joint, shoulder," from PIE ar(ə)-smo-, suffixed form of root *ar- "to fit together." Modern scientific harmony, using combinations of notes to form chords, is from 16c. Sense of "agreement of feeling, concord" is from late 14c.

disharmony (n.)

"discord, incongruity, want of harmony," c. 1600; see dis- + harmony.

harmonist (n.)

1742, "one skilled in musical harmony," from harmony + -ist. Also "writer who 'harmonizes' the parallel narratives of the Gospel" (1713) and "member of a communistic religious movement in Pennsylvania" (1824). From the former comes harmonistics (1859).

harmonious (adj.)

1520s, "sounding together tunefully," from French harmonieux (14c.), from harmonie (see harmony). In nonmusical use from 1630s. Related: Harmoniously; harmoniousness.

harmonium (n.)

keyboard instrument, a kind of reed-organ popular late 19c. in homes and smaller churches, 1847, from French harmonium, from Greek harmonia (see harmony). Harmonium-like instruments predate the improved version patented 1840 in France by Alexandre Debain, who gave it the name.

harmonize (v.)

late 15c., "play or sing in harmony," from French harmoniser (15c.), from Old French harmonie (see harmony). Meaning "be in harmony (with), go well together" is from 1620s. Transitive sense "bring into harmony" is from 1700; figurative sense "bring into agreement" is from 1767. Meaning "add harmony to (a melody)" is from 1790. Related: Harmonized; harmonizing.

harmonic (adj.)

1560s, "relating to music," from Latin harmonicus, from Greek harmonikos "harmonic, musical, skilled in music," from harmonia (see harmony). From 1660s as "tuneful, harmonious; relating to harmony" (earlier as armonical "tuneful, harmonious," c. 1500). The noun, short for harmonic tone, is recorded from 1777. Related: Harmonically.

philharmonic (adj.)

"loving harmony or music," 1813 (in the name of a society founded in London for the promotion of instrumental music), from French philharmonique (1739), from Italian filarmonico, literally "loving harmony," from Greek philos "loving" (see philo-) + ta harmonika "theory of harmony, music," from neuter plural of harmonikos (see harmonic). The Society name was taken up in the names of many symphony orchestras.

concent (n.)

"harmony, concord of sounds," 1580s, from Latin concentus "a singing together, harmony," from concinere "to sing or sound together," from con- "with, together" (see con-) + canere "to sing" (from PIE root *kan- "to sing"). Often misspelled consent or confused with that word.

attunement (n.)

"a bringing into harmony," 1820, from attune + -ment.

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